TRIP REPORT
I booked my flight from Madrid to Belgrade by redeeming some Etihad Guest miles I had left over. Since the difference in miles required between economy and business class wasn't too much I decided to book business for this 3 hour flight.
In order to book a ticket using miles, you need to call Air Serbia, select your desired flight, and then call again the following day to check if it has been approved and to pay the required taxes (in this case it was 2200 dinars or 20 euros). I have to say that I had no wait time at any point when I called the airline and all of the people I talked to were pleasant.
I arrived at Madrid Airport just under two hours before departure. Taxis in Madrid from the city to the airport (and vice versa) have a fixed rate of 33 euros, and they all accept cards, which is convenient. Madrid Airport's Terminal 1 is nothing special although is supposed to be upgraded soon to have more of a resemblance to Iberia's T4. I checked in for my flight and proceeded to security. I noticed on the tag of the passengers checking in next to me that they were transferring to St Petersburg.
The airport has a fast track for business class passengers of which Air Serbia is a part of so I was thankful to breeze through considering there were long lines in the standard lanes. Passport control was quick and from there I proceeded to the lounge.
The lounge was impressive for European standards. It is very large with lots of space and lots of power ports so you can charge your devices. There is a huge balcony snaking around the lounge with great views of the tarmac. There is also a bar in the lounge. The food choices appeared limited to cold foods and snacks from what I could see.
I noticed that the outbound Air Serbia flight landed 5 minutes ahead of schedule and shortly after I headed to the gate. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 18.15.
The flight was mostly full. There were 3 of us in business class and just a few spare seats in economy. Boarding our A319 started at 17.40. We were greated by two crew members, a female purser and male crew member. They were both very nice, presentable, professional and I must say very positive and cheerful which was nice to see.
Before departure we were given the menu card and shortly after our meal choices were taken along with drinks. There were three choices and I selected the stroganoff with some wine. We were also asked between natural and sparkling water and if we would like ice and lemon to go along with it.
After boarding was completed, the pilot welcomed us and we pushed back at exactly 18.15. It took around 20 minutes to taxi to the runway and we were off.
Following departure the crew read out a special message on the occasion of Serbia's National Day, which was when the flight took place (highlighting how Air Serbia is proud to be Serbia's national airline etc).
Following a bumpy climb, our meal was served shortly afterwards, and it tasted good. I think the meal presentation has been improved. The bread was also warm. And the crew also asked if I would like to sample the wine first before making a choice. After the trays were cleared the crew asked if we would like some tea or coffee or anything else to drink.
The rest of the flight was uneventful and I listed through the Elevate magazine, which I always find has some good articles and destination tips. A bit later the lights were dimmed. During the flight the crew came around several times to ask about any additional drinks.
We landed right on time. I used the egate on arrival for the first time, and it took just 5 seconds to scan the passport and for the gate to open. The arrivals hall is now being reconstructed as new baggage belts are being installed so 2 baggage belts are out of use.
For European short haul standards, I found the flight to be very good. We were on time, the crew was great, the meal was good and I don't think there are many European airlines around offering 3 hot meal choices on an intra-European short haul flight. Overall a good experience.
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They certainly did improve their product which is good. They usually come around later on asking if you want coffee, tea or something else to drink.
ReplyDeleteA tip to JU, maybe on those longer flights do what KLM does and offer a warm drink with some chocolate or cookies. It could be a nice touch to kill time while in the air.
I have to admit im not a fan of the BEG interior design at all, I hoped they would have made it better by now…
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteOnly the last couple of pics are from BEG. Airport pics in the first half of the report are from Madrid with low ceiling at check-in and hallways.
DeleteIt’s amazing how JU managed to become successful in Spanish market for a relatively short period of time. MAD should be increased to attract more transfer pax.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Iberia does not react?
DeleteThat looks like a quite decent meal.
ReplyDeleteI have traveled this route many times, as well as to Málaga and Barcelona, and I have noticed a strong presence of Russian passengers using ASL for these destinations. On one occasion, I witnessed a situation where five Serbian passengers were removed due to overbooking. It seemed that some passengers had paid a higher fare and were allowed to continue beyond Belgrade. Just wanted to point this out. Great review btw
ReplyDeleteThe choice of wine offered onboard is not great, basically a single choice red or white and that is not acceptable for someone that paid a premium price. On another hand the image with "2 nova karusela" is sad, seems like we lost our language completely.
ReplyDeleteIt's a short haul intra European flight.
DeleteThe choice of wine is more than fine, certainly better than anything LH Group or KLM will serve you in short-haul J. Long-haul is where the offer needs to be improved.
DeleteI took this exact same flight two weeks ago and it was on the wet leased A320 but in economy. The sandwich offered was ok and i bought two nice wines for 10euro which is fine. Wouldnt have paid for business however on a leased aircraft. This food looks quite good and i've always found business of air serbia to be satisfactory for a small airline serving what is essentially a relavtively small market.
DeleteSpeaking of Etihad Guest miles used for this trip report, I wonder if redemption will continue once Air Serbia switches to own FF. Etihad miles are worth it if you earn them in business or even better in first class Apartments, but unfortunately Etihad does not send A380 to Madrid. Back to topic, thank you for great trip report and fantastic pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi, someone who lives in Madrid here, Etihad does send 380 to MAD - I've seen it quite a few times with my own eyes landing here. You csn check that on fr24 as well.
DeleteThat's a really nice lounge.
ReplyDeleteStill frequency is not daily.
ReplyDeleteHow long will it take them for that?
Unfortunately JU is very slow at everything.
JU planes are flying at the same speed as other airlines using same aircraft, so they are not slow at everything as you say. JU is pivoting frequency of flights based on demand, so in season you can fly BEG-BCN double daily with choice of airlines because demand is there. JU responded very quickly when demand for Iberian Peninsula grew and is flying to Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Palma, Valencia, Barcelona, Malaga and once slots are available to Ibiza. Compare that to your very slow airline.
DeleteThank you for another very nice report! I hope you enjoyed your stay in Madrid. I was there last year and I really liked the city and its atmosphere.
ReplyDelete